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Retiring types: John & Sue Maple

After 28 years, well-known Victorian photo retailing couple John and Sue Maple have retired, closing the doors on their Ashburton store, Digital Photo Place.

Sue and John Maple in the now-bare Ashburton store.
Sue and John Maple in the now-bare Ashburton store.

Unfortunately, the premises at 214 High Street, Ashburton – in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs – will no longer be a photo store, with the Maples selling their freehold title after the store had been on the market for two years.

‘We could have gone on for another year or so – the business was going well – but when do you stop?’ asked John Maple.

‘If the industry was going better we would have stayed on, but I can’t see any future so what’s the point?’

– The alternative of spending more time with the grandchildren understandably has more appeal!

Owning the property in a busy shopping strip has given the Maples something to walk away with, where not all other retailers who have decided (or in some cases, been forced) to pull up stumps over the past few years have had that advantage.

‘You’ve got to have something at the end of the day. For us, that was the freehold,’ said Mr Maple.

DPPLooking back on the recent history of photo retailing, Mr Maple identified the introduction of the GST has having a deadening effect on photo retailing.

‘The first thing someone did when they were going overseas was buy a camera and a watch ,’ he said, adding that there was effectively a 33 percent discount on every duty-free camera sold.

‘We were doing half a million dollars in camera sales and half of that was duty free,’ he said.

‘In those days there was good profit in selling cameras, then everybody started discounting. Volumes went up but profits went down.’

The handling of the transition from analog to digital photography and the (not unconnected) stewardship of Fujiflm Australia by Dave Marshall was another setback to photo retailing, according to Mr Maple.

‘Dave Marshall came into the business from white goods and he saw he could elevate his standing within Fujifilm so he went with Harvey Norman and Big W. He grew the business and killed the business.’

Specialty retailing was basically abandoned by the industry leader, according to Mr Maple.

‘We were number two or number three in the state selling Fujifilm (paper and chemistry). The day we shifted they didn’t even come to see what the problem was.’

He makes a direct connection between Fujifilm’s differential treatment of the mass merchant and photo specialty to the failure of many ‘mums and dads’ businesses.

‘Up to 1800 families out there lost a hell of a lot,’ he said adding that some even lost their houses.

‘The shift from film to digital was poorly handled. It was sheer greed.’

He maintains that film was killed off prematurely, alienating the baby boomer customer base which had been using it.

‘Digital photography put baby boomers out of taking photos for a long time. They weren’t familiar with digital cameras and still wanted to use film.

‘Film should still have 30 – 40 percent market share,’ he said ‘People using film were good customers of a lot of the labs.’

Yet even though Mr Maple has regrets about what he sees as the premature passing of the film era, The Digital Photo Place has been an innovator, as an early adoptor of Frontier minilab technology, a beta site for the digital Ilford Printasia system back in the 1990s, and among the first stores to offer an online printing service.

He isn’t optimistic that the mass market will go back to printing photos and if they do, they will likely print them at home.

‘The younger generations just don’t want to print, and the industry has done nothing to help them,’ he said, noting that there is little funding available to promote picture-taking and printing these days.

Having had what could be called a ‘red hot go’ at Fujifilm, John Maple nominated IPS (they’ve been fantastic’) and framing companies such as Profile and In2Print as great businesses to work with.

‘All those smaller companies have been fantastic,’ he said.

The future for the Maples is all about ‘enjoying ourselves, and going off and looking after the grandkids.’

As for the industry he and partner Sue have just left after 28 years: ‘The good stores will keep going and the ones that aren’t so good will disappear.

‘It’s a sunset industry, but there will still be some demand.’

– Photo Counter wishes John and Sue all the very best in retirement. (And thanks, John for your robust contributions to comments on the website over the years. You will be missed – probably not by Dave, though!)  

7 Comments

  1. Rob Gtaeley Rob Gtaeley March 7, 2014

    All the best for your future from Rob and Meg Gateley

    • john john March 8, 2014

      We appreciate all the good wishes left for us..All remember we own a camera and love printing our photos so look forward to seeing us…
      Thanks again for the kind words..
      John and Sue

  2. robbo robbo March 7, 2014

    sad to see another industry iconic family leave …
    thats the bad news
    the good news is you are getting your life back
    look out grand kids your going to be loved to death by grandma and grand dad.
    guys the only regret going forward you will have is ……you waited so long to do it..now go and ENJOY life
    best wishes for the future richard robertson (retired)

  3. Frank Hoekstra Frank Hoekstra March 7, 2014

    Stay active and have a great and adventurous new life.

    From

    Marie Cosgrave and Frank Hoekstra
    Photo Production House
    High Street Prahran
    Today it’s been exactly 3 Years since we sold Our business

  4. ROB HEIM ROB HEIM March 7, 2014

    Best Wishes to Sue, John and the old team of Ruth & Beryl. You set a very high standard for quality and customer service. It is pleasing to see you move into retirement with a nest egg, so many others have or will not. Enjoy a long and happy life, ENJOY THE MOMENT, Rob Heim

  5. Noel Blake Noel Blake March 10, 2014

    Visiting you both was a pleasure. You made my time as a rep easy and enjoyable. Have a happy and healthy future and make the most of what you have earned. Thanks for the memories and I have gained a lot for having been part of your journey.Happy Holidays, Noel

  6. Joan & Neville Maple Joan & Neville Maple March 11, 2014

    Parents of a great couple of hard workers – we are very proud of them, and what they have accomplished – we hope we will see more of them too – they have been committed to that business
    24/7. Nobody could wish them a happy retirement more than
    us.

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